Xiphon Pattern Interceptor
Legion in flight during the Horus Heresy]] The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor, or simply Xiphon Interceptor, is a void and atmospheric flight-capable fighter craft once used by the Space Marine Legions of old. The Xiphon Interceptor was widely used by the Legiones Astartes during the early days of the Great Crusade, before falling out of regular service and seeing a resurgence in general use during the Horus Heresy due to shortages of available combat aircraft. The Xiphon is rarely used by the Space Marine Chapters of the late 41st Millennium, with limited numbers of the fighter craft found within their armouries. The craft is known to have been used in recent times by the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and the Grey Knights Chapters. History ]] The Xiphon Interceptor can trace its lineage back to ancient times, and while the origins of the Xiphon are lost to history the fighter craft shares many Standard Template Construct (STC) components with a diverse array of Imperial aircraft, including the Amhut Voyager and the Thunderbolt fighter. While there have been multiple variations of the Xiphon Interceptor encountered on lost human colonies or in the fleets of nomadic corsairs, the Xiphon Pattern used by the Legiones Astartes was modified from a pattern found in use by the Rhadamanthys Enclave when it was brought into Imperial Compliance in 806.M30 and was produced at the Celestrix Forge World until its destruction in 914.M30. The Rhadamanthys Enclave made use of cybernetically-augmented human pilots that were capable of withstanding the extreme stress generated by the Xiphon, however it was found that Space Marines could pilot the craft successfully without harm. As a result, the Xiphon was never adopted for use by the wider Armada Imperialis. Although potent and heavily armed the Xiphon was both more complex and had a limited operational range when compared to the larger Wrath Starfighter as well as being ill-favoured by the Mechanicum. The Xiphon fell out of use by most of the Space Marine Legions by the end of the Great Crusade, with only the Ultramarines and Dark Angels Legions continuing to use them in frontline service. Once the Horus Heresy began, the exigencies of combat and a shortage of replacements for the Imperium's preferred aircraft led many Legions to press their reserves of Xiphons back into battle. Armament Lascannons]] The Xiphon Interceptor is a heavily armed and armoured fighter craft, with two sets of twin-linked Lascannons located on the sides of the aircraft's fuselage. The craft is also armed with a ventral-mounted Xiphon Rotary Missile Launcher, a smaller and more compact design more commonly found on heavy void fighters, and incorporates sophisticated cluster munitions. This firepower when combined with an Astartes pilot and the Interceptor's speed and agility made it an incredibly deadly opponent. The Xiphon is armoured with ceramite plating by default and can be equipped with chaff launchers. Its cockpit can be outfitted with additional protective armour. During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Xiphon Interceptor could also be equipped with ground tracking auguries, sophisticated scanners and advanced Cognis-interpreters that allowed for the detection and analysis of even the most well-concealed ground targets. Unit Composition *'1 Xiphon Pattern Interceptor' Wargear A standard Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is armed and equipped with: *'2 hull-mounted, twin-linked Lascannons' *'Xiphon Rotary Missile Launcher (hull mounted)' *'4 Tempest Rockets (wing mounted)' *'Armoured Ceramite Plating' A Xiphon Pattern Interceptor may take the following vehicle equipment: *'Chaff Launcher' *'Ground Tracking Auguries' *'Armoured Cockpit' Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications The technical specifications of the Xiphon Pattern Interceptor are not currently available in Imperial records. Trivia The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is very similar aesthetically to the Colonial Viper Starfighter from the the 1978 television show Battlestar Galactica , with some features similar to the X-Wing Starfighter from Star Wars. Sources *''Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes'' (8th Edition), pg. 33 *''The Horus Heresy: Book Five - Tempest'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 16-17, 62, 216 *''The Horus Heresy: Book Six - Retribution'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 120-121 *''The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh by Alan Bligh, pp. 28-29, 74-75, 168-169 *''The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List'', pg. 58 *''The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List'' pg. 58 *''Forge World Website '' *''Forge World Experimental Rules '' Gallery XiphonInterceptor001.png|The Xiphon Interceptor of the Iron Hands Legion's veteran pilot Viton Tahn, the best pilot of the Red Talon Orbital Strike Wing during the Horus Heresy; side-view XiphonInterceptor002.png|The Xiphon Interceptor of Iron Hands Legion's veteran pilot Viton Tahn, the best pilot of the Red Talon Orbital Strike Wing during the Horus Heresy; dorsal view XiphonInterceptor0001.png|The Feathered Serpent, a Xiphon Pattern Interceptor of the Thousand Sons Legion. The Feathered Serpent destroyed several Imperial aircraft during the Scouring of Prospero, before eventually being destroyed in turn by the Space Wolves and Legio Custodes, side view XiphonInterceptor0002.png|The Feathered Serpent, dorsal view XiphonInterceptor003.png|A Xiphon Interceptor of the Ultramarines Chapter, front view XiphonInterceptor005.png|A Xiphon Interceptor of the Ultramarines Chapter, front-side view XiphonInterceptor006.png|A Xiphon Interceptor, ventral view Category:X Category:Aircraft Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Aircraft Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Spacecraft Category:Imperial Aircraft Category:Imperial Spacecraft Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Vehicles Category:Space Marines Category:Spacecraft